Rocío Madrid, alumni of the Master in Photography and Design by SHIFTA, the Elisava’s online school, is one of the four participants in the third edition of the KBr Flama photography exhibition, dedicated to young talents in the field of photography. Rocío participates with Melilla, a documentary photography project that narrates from within the recent change in the geopolitical situation of the area.
Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the Melilla border was closed from March 2020 to May 2022, completely blocking the passage of people and goods on both sides. This blockade plunged the city into a state of recession. In addition to acting as a parapet for the flood of migrants in transit to Europe, it affected the people of Melilla and especially the floating population, all those people who carried out border transit on a daily basis, aggravating the economic and health conditions of the region.
In this context, Rocío portrays the situation from the point of view of a native who grew up in the city and currently resides there. A series of samples taken between the end of 2020 and the present from daily walks that capture a physical space full of contradictions typical of a particular idiosyncrasy marked by history and cultural contrast. The author dilutes herself with space and people to analyze local society starting from a daily life where, due to her assiduity, extreme actions are considered normal.
